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Shanghai to have a special screening for IAS officers

By Hindustan Times

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee and actor Abhay Deol will be showcasing their forthcoming political thriller, Shanghai, to a symposium of 15 batches of IAS officers on June 5. The officials, who will be present in Mussorie for their annual meet next month, will be watching the film two days before its international premiere takes place in Singapore.

“My character is from their world, that’s why we want to show them our film. I hope we can screen it for some chief ministers as well,” says Abhay, who plays the part of an IAS officer in the multi-star cast film. He adds, “My character is powerful, opinionated, quiet, straightforward and egotistical.”

To make sure he got all the nuances of his characters right, Dibakar spent two months just studying the mannerisms of IAS officers. He says, “I stayed at the IAS Officers’ club in Hyderabad for a few days and observed the officials.

How after an early morning game of badminton, they sit and discuss issues over a cup of tea and despite roadblocks at work, they continue working towards achieving their goals; the way they interact with politicians and police officers… I learnt a lot. The insight I got into the working of the inner machinery has found its way into the script.”

It was during his stay in Hyderabad that an officer suggested Dibakar screen the film for his colleagues at their annual event in Mussorie. “When the rough cut of the film was shown to an IAS officer, he told us it was quite authentic. He lauded us for the detailing. But now that so many will see it together, they will rip us, praise or put us in jail,” he says.